By Michelle Sahn Staff Writer South Brunswick Township -

A man dressed as a clown approached a 13-year-old boy, yelled something at him, than ran away, disappearing into a wooded area behind a Ridge Road school. South Brunswick police said they are investigating the possibility that the Friday night incident here is related to similar incidents in Howell.

Around 8:50 p.m. in South Brunswick, a township boy was scared by a man who dressed in a two-piece clown suit, and who wore either clown makeup or a clown mask, said Sgt. Pat O'Brien. The clown yelled something the boy couldn't understand, then fled into the woods behind the Monmouth Junction School, said O'Brien. The boy could not provide any further description, he said.

Howell police have received four reports since July of a man dressed like a clown or hobo who jumped out at children from behind trees. In one case, a teen-ager said the clown laughed maniacally at her and her friend. In the Howell case, this man is described as a 6-foot tall man between 30 and 50 years old. He may have a beard and a tattoo on one arm A resident said he was thin, disheveled and dirty. The man in Howell has not approached or touched the children, just frightened them.